Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland
by Chrissy Jones
Summary: Hermione gets a last chance to say goodbye at the Ministry. [OotP spoilers] Ficlet.


Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland  
  
The last thing Hermione remembered was telling Harry good job, and then falling. She had no idea how she came to rest in this marble hallway surrounded by tall, white, majestic columns. There was also a bench on either side of her, with a large globe in between them.  
  
Where was Harry? Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna? What happened to the Death Eaters? How did she end up here? Were they hiding behind the columns?  
  
She tried to look around them, but there was only complete darkness. Apparently the light from the hallway did not extend this far. It just didn't make sense.  
  
She walked around, looking for details that might clue her in to where she was. It was only when she got absurdly close to the columns that she noticed there were tiny roses etched into them, and when she looked up and concentrated, she could see the night sky above her, instead of a ceiling. The moon was far away, creating a blurry spot in her vision. No help at all.  
  
Hermione returned to the benches and seated herself on one, now staring that the globe. Little flashes of light sparked every few moments from places on it. This made her head hurt, and she turned away, pulling her knees up to her chest and resting her chin on them.  
  
She didn't know how much time had passed since she first found herself in the room. It could have been seconds, hours, even days. No one was there with her.  
  
".Hermione?" She nearly fell off of the bench. Her head snapped around and landed upon the form of a man, tall and somewhat thin with long hair. He was standing next to the bench across from her and the globe.  
  
"Sirius! How did you? What happened? How did you get here? How did *I* get here?" She jumped off the bench and ran to him, flinging her arms around him. "Sirius, we were so worried, Harry thought he saw -- and then -- Death Eaters! Sirius, you're so cold! What happened?"  
  
"Hermione, never mind that. You must listen to me, carefully. I won't be able to go back . . ."  
  
"Go back?" She pulled away from him and looked up into his eyes, noticing that they were full of sparkle and life, bluer and brighter than ever. There was something different about his whole demeanor now that she thought about it. Wait a moment . . . "Sirius -- you're . . . You're . . .young?"  
  
Indeed he was. The lines had faded from his face, and it was smooth and youthful once more, without a blemish to be seen. His eyes were dancing even though he was very serious at the moment.  
  
"I was hit, Hermione. I . . . I won't be there anymore. You have to listen to me -- you have to tell Harry that this wasn't his fault. Make sure he understands that. You need to give him that message for --" Sirius's hands had moved to her shoulders, and they were clutching her firmly, making sure that she could not move away again.  
  
"What do you mean you won't be here anymore? Of course you will!" She was unwilling to believe it. She had just grasped the meaning of his words and could not fully find herself to comprehend them. How could one ever comprehend death?  
  
"Hermione, I'm going on. I want to. It's where I'm meant to be. You have to stay strong. Harry's going to need you."  
  
She nodded and moved her hands up to where his were, removing them from her shoulders and linking her fingers with his. "What do you want me to do?"  
  
"Let Harry know that I loved --" He caught himself. "Love him. Remus will have a hard time coping, Hermione . . . Try to comfort him for me, please. You two are a match, he'll know what you're saying is true. Tell him I've gone on to be with them, and that we'll meet again. Maybe not anytime soon, but we will meet again."  
  
A door opened at the far end of the hallway, filling the hall with even more light. Two dark figures moved into the light, their silhouettes creating a striking image against the white.  
  
"They're coming for me."  
  
"Sirius?"  
  
"Hermione, I only have a small amount of time left." He pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her and continued talking. "Please, please do that for me. Also, Albus will blame himself. Tell him that it was my own stupidity -- my own will that caused this to happen. It's the way it was meant to be."  
  
He glanced over his shoulder. The figures were halfway down the hall now, and Hermione could make out the figure of a man and a woman.  
  
"Sirius, I.I love you." Her attempt to bring his focus back to her worked. He smiled at her, kissing her forehead. "I love you, too."  
  
They held each other for the remaining moments it took the figures to reach them. When they pulled away and turned to face them, Hermione was shocked.  
  
Harry's mother and father were standing side by side in front of them, both of them smiling warmly at Sirius. They, too, were young and unblemished, and seemed to be surrounded by an ethereal light.  
  
He moved toward them, hugging them both, and beaming, happier than she had ever seen him. They all turned to face her.  
  
"Sirius . . . I want to --"  
  
"You can't come with us, Hermione. You're going to go back."  
  
"I know, I just . . ." Tears formed in her eyes, and she quickly tried to wipe them away. "I don't want you to go."  
  
Sirius gave her a sad smile, and shook his head at her. "We'll meet again, Hermione. We'll be watching over all of you." His hands were in his pockets now, and he removed one, moving toward her and holding it out.  
  
She took it in both her own. She didn't know what else to do. She noted briefly that his hand was now warm and soft.  
  
"Goodbye, Hermione. Till we meet again." He removed his other hand from his pocket, covered both her own, and squeezed lightly. When he removed them and turned to go, she did not move.  
  
She stood watched the three figures retreat to far end of the hallway, and go through the brilliantly lit door. She was there long after it closed.  
  
It was even longer before she realized she was standing. She slowly walked back to the bench and seated herself. When Hermione realized there was a weight in her hands, something round and warm, tickling her flesh, hours could have passed.  
  
It turned out to be a ball. A glass one, dark blue in color. When examined more closely, she noticed a small light in the center.  
  
*. . . Sirius . . .*  
  
When she awoke in the hospital wing hours later, the weight was still in her hands.  
  
A/N: Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland is a song title, 1909, written by Leo Friedman and Beth Whitson. Please review and let me know how you feel -- this is how I've gained my closure on Sirius' death (although there is a little speck of hope ;). I'd love to hear what you think. Special thanks to Mandy for looking this over before I posted! 


End file.
